View source for Jesse B. Oldendorf

{{Short description|United States Navy admiral (1887–1974)}}
{{Infobox military person
|name= Jesse B. Oldendorf
|image= Jesse Oldendorf.jpg
|caption= Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf
|nickname= Oley
|birth_date= {{birth date|df=yes|1887|2|16}}
|death_date= {{death date and age|df=yes|1974|4|27|1887|2|16}}
|birth_place= [[Riverside, California]]
|death_place= [[Portsmouth, Virginia]]
|placeofburial=
|allegiance= United States
|branch= [[United States Navy]]
|serviceyears= 1909–1948
|rank= [[Admiral (United States)|Admiral]]
|unit=
|commands={{plainlist|
*[[Western Sea Frontier]]
*[[San Diego Naval Base]]
*[[11th Naval District]]
*[[Task Force 95]]
*Battleship Squadron 1
*Cruiser Division 4
*{{USS|Houston|CA-30|6}}
*{{USS|Decatur|DD-341|6}}
}}
|battles=
{{plainlist|
*[[Mexican Revolution]]
*World War I
*:[[First Battle of the Atlantic|Battle of the Atlantic]]
*World War II
*:[[Battle of the Atlantic]]
*:[[Battle of the Caribbean]]
*:[[Marshall Islands Campaign|Battle of Marshall Islands]]
*:[[Palau Islands Campaign|Battle of the Palau Islands]]
*:[[Battle of the Marianas Islands]]
*:[[Battle of Leyte Gulf]]
*:[[Invasion of Lingayen Gulf|Battle of Lingayen Gulf]]
*:[[Battle of Okinawa]]
*:[[Occupation of Japan]]
}}
|awards={{plainlist|
* [[Navy Cross]]
* [[Navy Distinguished Service Medal]] (3)
* [[Army Distinguished Service Medal]]
* [[Legion of Merit]] (2)
* [[Purple Heart]] (2)
}}
|relations=
|laterwork=
}}
'''Jesse Barrett''' "'''Oley'''" '''Oldendorf''' (16 February 1887 – 27 April 1974) was an [[admiral]] in the [[United States Navy]], famous for defeating a Japanese force in the [[Battle of Leyte Gulf]] during [[World War II]]. He also served as commander of the American naval forces during the early phase of the [[Battle of the Caribbean]]. In early 1942, a secret group of senior Navy officers empaneled by President Franklin D. Roosevelt assessed him as one of the 40 most competent of the 120 flag officers in the Navy.<ref name="usni">Frank, Richard B., Picking Winners?, Naval History Magazine - June 2011 Volume 25, Number 3</ref>

==Early life==
Jesse Barrett Oldendorf was born in [[Riverside, California]] on 16 February 1887. He graduated from the [[United States Naval Academy]] in 1909,<ref name="Ancell">{{harvnb|Ancell|Miller|1996|p=589}}</ref> standing 141st in a class of 174,<ref name="famousadmiraloldendorfref"/> and was commissioned in 1911.<ref name="Ancell"/> His Academy classmates included Admiral [[Alan Goodrich Kirk|Alan G. Kirk]] and Vice Admirals [[Olaf M. Hustvedt|Olaf M. Hustveldt]] and [[Theodore Stark Wilkinson|Theodore S. Wilkinson]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/luckybag1909unse |title=Lucky Bag |date=1909 |publisher=First Class, United States Naval Academy |others=Nimitz Library U. S. Naval Academy}}</ref> Oldendorf served aboard the [[armored cruiser]] {{USS|California|ACR-6|6}}, the [[torpedo boat destroyer]] {{USS|Preble|DD-12|6}}, the [[cruiser]] {{USS|Denver|CL-16|6}}, the [[destroyer]] {{USS|Whipple|DD-15|6}} and the armored cruiser ''California'' again, although she had been renamed ''San Diego''. He also served on the [[Panama Canal]] [[hydrography|hydrographic]] [[survey ship]] {{USS|Hannibal|AG-1|6}}.<ref name="famousadmiraloldendorfref">{{harvnb|Reynolds|1978|pp=243–245}}</ref>

==World War I==
During [[World War I]], Oldendorf spent a few months on recruiting duty in Philadelphia. From June to August 1917, he commanded the [[United States Navy Armed Guard|naval armed guard]] on {{ship|USAT|Saratoga}}. The ship sank as a result of a collision in New York. He then became a gunnery officer aboard the [[Troopship|troop transport]] {{USS|President Lincoln|1907|6}},<ref name="famousadmiraloldendorfref"/> which was sunk by three [[torpedo]]es from the [[SM U-90|German submarine ''U-90'']] off [[Ireland]] on 31 May 1918.<ref name="usspresidentlincoln1">{{harvnb|Feuer|1999|pp=55–57}}</ref> From August 1918 to March 1919, he was engineering officer of {{USS|Seattle|ACR-11|6}}. In July, he was briefly executive officer of {{USS|Patricia|1899|6}}.<ref name="famousadmiraloldendorfref"/>

==Between the wars==
Between the great wars, Oldendorf did a stint in charge of recruiting station [[Pittsburgh]], acted as an engineering inspector in [[Baltimore]], and served as officer in charge of a hydrographic office. In 1920, he was assigned to the patrol yacht {{USS|Niagara|PY-9|6}}. From 1921 to 1922, Oldendorf was stationed on {{USS|Birmingham|CL-2|6}} in the Caribbean, while acting as [[flag secretary]] to [[Special Service Squadron]] commanders [[Rear Admiral (United States)|Rear Admiral]] [[Casey B. Morgan]], [[Captain (United States)|Captain]] Austin Kautz and Rear Admiral [[William Carey Cole|William C. Cole]]. From 1922 to 1924 he served as aide to Rear Admiral [[Josiah S. McKean]], commandant of the [[Mare Island Navy Yard]]. In 1925, Oldendorf, now a [[Commander (United States)|commander]], assumed his first command, the destroyer {{USS|Decatur|DD-341|6}}, Afterwards, he was aide to successive commandants of the [[Philadelphia Navy Yard]], Rear Admiral [[Thomas P. Magruder]] and [[Julian Lane Latimer]] from 1927 to 1928.<ref name="famousadmiraloldendorfref"/>

Oldendorf attended the [[Naval War College]] from 1928 to 1929 and then the [[United States Army War College|Army War College]] from 1929 to 1930.<ref name="Ancell"/> From 1930 to 1935, he was the navigator of the [[battleship]] {{USS|New York|BB-34|6}}. Following the normal pattern of alternating duty at sea with shore duty, Oldendorf taught [[navigation]] at the Naval Academy from 1932 to 1935. Following this teaching assignment at the Academy, Oldendorf returned to sea duty serving as executive officer of the battleship {{USS|West Virginia|BB-48|6}} from 1935 to 1937. From 1937 to 1939, Oldendorf directed the recruiting section of the [[Bureau of Navigation]].<ref name="famousadmiraloldendorfref"/>

==World War II==
From 1939 to 1941, Oldendorf commanded the cruiser {{USS|Houston|CA-30|6}}. In September 1941, he joined the staff of the Naval War College, where he taught navigation until February 1942. On 31 March 1942, Oldendorf was promoted to rear admiral, and assigned to the [[Aruba]]-[[Curaçao]]  sector of the [[Caribbean]] [[Sea Frontier]]. In August 1942, he was transferred to the [[Trinidad]] sector where [[anti-submarine warfare]] was his primary duty. From May through December 1943, Oldendorf commanded [[Task Force 24]] which was assigned all Western Atlantic escorts. His flagships during this period were [[destroyer tender]] {{USS|Prairie|AD-15|6}} and fleet tug {{USS|Kiowa|AT-72|6}}.<ref name="famousadmiraloldendorfref"/>

Oldendorf was reassigned to the [[United States Pacific Fleet]] in January 1944, where he commanded [[CRUDIV|Cruiser Division 4]] (CruDiv 4) from his flagship {{USS|Louisville|CA-28|6}}. Cruiser Division 4, consisting of cruisers and battleships, supported carrier operations and provided fire support for the landings in the [[Marshall Islands|Marshalls]], [[Palaus]], [[Marianas]], and [[Battle of Leyte|Leyte]].<ref name="famousadmiraloldendorfref"/>

On 12 September 1944, Oldendorf commanded from the bridge of his flagship, {{USS|Pennsylvania|BB-38|6}}, the Fire Support Group tasked with the bombardment of Peleliu in the [[Palaus]] island group. This Fire Support Group consisted of five battleships, ''Pennsylvania'', {{USS|Idaho|BB-42|6}}, {{USS|Maryland|BB-46|6}}, {{USS|Mississippi|BB-41|6}}, and {{USS|Tennessee|BB-43|6}}, eight cruisers, twelve destroyers, seven minesweepers, fifteen landing craft converted to rocket launchers, and a half-dozen submarines.<ref name="sloan">{{harvnb|Sloan|2005|pp=59–61}}</ref> At this point in his career, Oldendorf was an experienced battle commander who had handled similar assignments in three previous Marine landings. The bombardment was scheduled to last three days. By the end of the first day, aerial reconnaissance photos indicated that close to 300 of the assigned targets had been destroyed or seriously damaged by the all-day bombardment and that virtually every aboveground structure and fortification had been eradicated. At the airport its few usable planes were reduced to wreckage.<ref name="sloan"/>

By the evening of the second day, every target specified on the master list in ''Pennsylvania''{{'}}s combat center had been struck repeatedly. However, Oldendorf was concerned because no return fire had been detected from the concentrations of enemy heavy artillery shown in earlier aerial reconnaissance photos and because the latest photos contained no evidence that these weapons had been destroyed. It was surmised that the Japanese had moved their heavy artillery underground where they could have survived the bombardment. Despite these concerns, Oldendorf made the decision to call off the bombardment at the end of the second day of a pre-arranged schedule that called for a third full day of attacks.<ref name="sloan"/>

This would have tragic results for the [[1st Marine Regiment (United States)|1st Marines]]' beach assault on Peleliu because the white coral outcropping designated as "the Point" was left virtually untouched despite the specific request that Lieutenant Colonel [[Chesty Puller|Lewis "Chesty" Puller]], commander of the 1st Marines, made to Oldendorf's staff to target it in the Navy's bombardment. "The Point" commanded the heights 30 feet above the north end of White Beach 1 on which the 1st Marines landed and was considered by Puller to be a potential defensive strongpoint too obvious for the Japanese to overlook. The result of not sufficiently reducing "the Point" was a bloodbath. Over 500 men were lost, roughly one-sixth of its regimental strength, on the D-Day White Beach assault on Peleliu, and the entire beachhead was in danger of collapsing. It was only by the heroism of the Marines that "the Point" was taken.<ref name="sloan4">{{harvnb|Sloan|2005|pp=62, 100–103, 106–107}}</ref> After the war when asked about Pelilieu, Oldendorf commented that "If military leaders – and that includes Navy brass – were gifted with the same accuracy of foresight that they are with hindsight, then the assault of Peleliu should never have been attempted."<ref name="sloan5">{{harvnb|Sloan|2005|p=62}}</ref>

[[File:USSTennesseeFlagPers Okinawa Aug 1945.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Vice Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf (center) with his Flag Personnel on the Flag Bridge of {{USS|Tennessee|BB-43|6}} in August 1945 at Okinawa]]
[[File:OldendorfDictatesTerms to Hoka and Yofi at Wakayama.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Vice Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf dictates the terms of surrender to Vice Admiral Hoka and Rear Admiral Yofai on 22 September 1945 at [[Wakayama Prefecture|Wakayama]], [[Honshū]], [[Japan]].]]

On 24 October 1944, Oldendorf was the commander of [[Task Group 77.2]] at the [[Battle of Surigao Strait]].<ref name="battleofleytegulfref1">{{harvnb|Tully|2009|p=82}}</ref> From aboard his flagship USS ''Louisville'' he led the defeat of the Japanese Southern Force.<ref>{{harvnb|Ireland|Gerrard|2006|p=69}}</ref> He deployed his powerful force of battleships and cruisers in a classic battle line formation across the [[Surigao Strait]], [[crossing the T]] of his opponent. The Japanese battleships {{ship|Japanese battleship|Fusō||2}} and {{ship|Japanese battleship|Yamashiro||2}} were sunk,<ref name="battleofleytegulfref4">{{harvnb |Tully|2009|pp=206,229}}</ref> and [[Vice Admiral]] [[Shoji Nishimura]] was killed.<ref>{{harvnb|Ireland|Gerrard|2006|p=86}}</ref> Oldendorf's action prevented the Japanese from bringing their battle fleet into Surigao Strait and attacking the beachheads on Leyte Island. He later explained his tactics to the ''[[New York Times]]'': "My theory was that of the old-time gambler: Never give a sucker a chance."<ref name="seaofthunder1">{{harvnb|Thomas|2006|p=239}}</ref> For this action, Oldendorf was awarded the [[Navy Cross]].<ref name="oleynavycrossref">{{harvnb|Department of the Navy|1945|p=417}}</ref>  In 1959 Admiral Oldendorf provided commentary on his planning for the battle:

{{blockquote|... Admiral Kinkaid's order to prepare for night action came as no surprise. ... It was obvious that the objective of the Japanese Forces was the destruction of our transports and that my mission was to protect them at all costs. In order to accomplish my mission, the force under my command must be interposed to between the enemy and the transports. I realized that I must not lose sight of my mission no matter how much I might be tempted to engage in a gunnery duel with him.<br />&nbsp;<br />I selected the position of the battle line off Hingatungan Point because it gave me the maximum sea room available and restricted the enemy's movements. This position also permitted me to cover the eastern entrance to the Gulf should the Central Force under Admiral Kurita arrive ahead of the Southern Force. I selected the battle plan from the General Tactical Instructions and modified it to meet the conditions existing, i.e., lack of sea room to maneuver and possible enemy action. ... I thought that quite possibly he planned to slip some of his light forces into the Gulf by passing them to the eastward of Hibuson Island after the battle line was engaged.  For that reason I stationed the preponderance of my light forces on the left flank. One duty which was never delegated to my staff was the drafting of battle plans.|[[United States Naval Institute|US Naval Institute]] Proceedings<br/>April 1959<ref>{{cite journal| last = Oldendorf| first = Jesse| title = Admiral Oldendorf Comments on the Battle of Surigao Strait| journal = Proceedings| volume = 105| issue = 4| pages = 104–107|publisher = [[United States Naval Institute|Naval Institute Press]]|location = [[Annapolis, Maryland]]| date = April 1959 }}</ref>}}

On 15 December 1944, Oldendorf was promoted to [[Vice Admiral (United States)|vice admiral]] and made commander of Battleship Squadron 1.<ref name="famousadmiraloldendorfref"/> He commanded battleships in the landings at [[Invasion of Lingayen Gulf|Lingayen]]. On 6 January 1945, Oldendorf, together with his guest British admiral [[Bruce Fraser, 1st Baron Fraser of North Cape|Bruce Fraser]], survived a destructive ''kamikaze'' strike on the bridge of {{USS|New Mexico|BB-40|6}}.<ref>{{cite book|last=Iredale|first=W.|title=The Kamikaze Hunters|year=2015|pages=227–8|publisher=Macmillan |isbn=9780230768192}}</ref> He was wounded breaking his collar bone at [[Ulithi]] on 11 March 1945, when his barge hit a buoy.<ref name="ulithipurpleheartref">{{harvnb|Reynolds|2005|p=417}}</ref> Oldendorf assumed command of [[Task Force 95]] in July, and led this force on two sweeps of the [[East China Sea]].{{sfn|Herder|2020|pp=79-80}} He was wounded, breaking several ribs, when his flagship ''Pennsylvania'' was torpedoed by a Japanese aircraft on 12 August 1945.<ref name="okinawapurpleheart">Melvin Carr Oral History, MS-2607. University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Special Collections Library. Interview by G. KURT PIEHLER and NASHWA VAN HOUTS</ref> On 22 September 1945, Oldendorf commanded the occupation of [[Wakayama, Wakayama|Wakayama]] and dictated terms of surrender to Vice Admiral Hoka and Rear Admiral Yofai.<ref name="tennesseestatref4">{{harvnb|USS Tennessee|1946|pp=62–65}}</ref>

==Post-World War II life==
From November 1945, Oldendorf commanded the [[11th Naval District]]. In 1946 he assumed command of the [[San Diego Naval Base]]. From 1947 until his retirement in 1948 he commanded the [[Western Sea Frontier]] and the [[United States Navy reserve fleets]] at [[San Francisco]].<ref>{{harvnb|Morison|1958|p=118}}</ref> He retired in September 1948 at which time he was promoted to [[Admiral (United States)|Admiral]].<ref name="Ancell"/>

Oldendorf resided in Mount Vernon, Virginia, where he owned a large plot of land. He died on 27 April 1974 in [[Portsmouth, Virginia]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uboat.net/allies/commanders/5008.html |title=Jesse Barrett Oldendorf, USN |access-date=29 January 2011}}</ref> The destroyer {{USS|Oldendorf|DD-972|6}} was named in his honor.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.united-states-navy.com/dd/dd972.htm |title=USS ''Oldendorf'' |access-date=29 January 2011}}</ref>

==Awards==
{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|colspan="2" align="right" |{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Navy Cross ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|colspan="2" align="left" |{{Ribbon devices|number=2|type=award-star|ribbon=Navy Distinguished Service ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Distinguished Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=2|type=award-star|ribbon=Legion of Merit ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Purple Heart ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=World War I Victory Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=1|type=service-star|ribbon=American Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=106|alt=}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=American Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|width=106|alt=}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=10|type=service-star|ribbon=Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}

|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=World War II Victory Medal ribbon.svg|width=106|alt=}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Army of Occupation ribbon.svg|width=106|alt=}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Phliber rib.svg|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=PHL Independence Medal ribbon.png|width=106}}
|-
|} 
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
!1st Row
|
|[[Navy Cross]]
|[[Navy Distinguished Service Medal]] with two gold stars 
|
|-
!2nd Row
|[[Distinguished Service Medal (U.S. Army)|Army Distinguished Service Medal]]
|[[Legion of Merit]] with two gold stars
|[[Purple Heart]]
|[[World War I Victory Medal (United States)|Victory Medal]]
|-
!3rd Row
|[[American Defense Service Medal]] with "FLEET" clasp
|[[American Campaign Medal]]
|[[European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal]]
|[[Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal]] with ten [[battle stars]]
|-
!4th Row
|[[World War II Victory Medal (United States)|World War II Victory Medal]]
|[[Navy Occupation Medal]]
|[[Philippine Liberation Medal]]
|[[Philippine Independence Medal]]
|-
|}

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=20em}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book | last1 = Ancell| first1 = R. Manning| last2 = Miller| first2 = Christine | title = The Biographical Dictionary of World War II Generals and Flag Officers: The US Armed Forces | location = [[Westport, Connecticut]] | publisher = [[Greenwood Press]] | year = 1996 | isbn = 0-313-29546-8 | oclc = 33862161 }}
*{{cite book| title=Navy Cross: Officers and Enlisted Men of the United States Navy Awarded the Navy Cross. December 7, 1941–July 1, 1945|author=Department of the Navy - Office of Public Information|publisher=US Navy Office of Public Information|location=[[Washington, D.C.]]|year=1945 |ref={{harvid|Department of the Navy|1945}}}}
*{{cite book| title=The U.S. Navy in World War I: Combat at Sea and in the Air|last=Feuer |first=A.B. |publisher=Praeger|location=[[Westport, Connecticut]]|year=1999|isbn=978-0-275-96212-8|oclc=464561284}}
*{{cite book| title=Picking Winners?, Naval History Magazine - June 2011 Volume 25, Number 3|author=Frank, Richard B.|publisher=US Naval Institute|year=2011}}
*{{cite book| title=Leyte Gulf 1944 The World's Greatest Sea Battle |last1=Ireland |first1=Bernard |last2=Gerrard |first2=Howard |publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]] |year=2006|isbn=978-1-84176-978-3|oclc=475193960}}
*{{cite book |last1=Herder |first1=Brian Lane |title=The Naval Siege of Japan 1945: War Plan Orange Triumphant |date=2020 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |location=Oxford |isbn=9781472840363}}
*{{cite book| title=Leyte June 1994-January 1945|last=Morison |first=Samuel Eliot|author-link=Samuel Eliot Morison |volume=XII|series=United States Naval Operations in World War II |publisher=[[Little, Brown and Company]]|location=[[Boston, Massachusetts]]|year=1958|isbn=978-0-7858-1313-2|oclc=7309630}}
*{{cite book| title=Famous American Admirals|last=Reynolds|first=Clark B.|publisher=US Naval Institute Press |year=1978|location=[[Annapolis, Maryland]] |isbn=978-1-55750-006-9|oclc=3912797}}
*{{cite book| title=On the Warpath in the Pacific: Admiral Jocko Clark and the Fast Carriers|last=Reynolds |first=Clark B.|publisher=US Naval Institute Press|location=[[Annapolis, Maryland]] |year=2005|isbn=978-1-59114-716-9|oclc=58454430}}
*{{cite book|title=Brotherhood of heroes : the Marines at Peleliu, 1944 : the bloodiest battle of the Pacific War|last=Sloan|first=Bill|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|location=[[New York, New York]]|year=2005|isbn=0-7432-6009-0|oclc=57236282|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/brotherhoodofher0000sloa}}
*{{cite book|title=Sea of Thunder: Four Commanders and the Last Great Naval Campaign 1941-1945|last=Thomas|first=Evan|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|location=[[New York, New York]]|year=2006|isbn=978-0-7432-5221-8|oclc=69672072|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/seaofthunderfour00thom}}
*{{cite book| title=Battle of Surigao Strait|last=Tully|first=Anthony P. |publisher=Indiana University Press|location=[[Bloomington, Indiana]]|year=2009|isbn=978-0-253-35242-2|oclc=234257241}}
*{{cite book| title=USS Tennessee, December 7, 1941-December 7, 1945 (Cruise Book) |author=USS Tennessee|publisher=Clark Printing House|year=1946}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Jesse B. Oldendorf}}
* [https://archive.today/20130128195128/http://www.militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php?recipientid=21434 Jesse Bartlett Oldendorf Valor Awards and Citations]
* [http://www.usni.org/magazines/navalhistory/2011-05/picking-winners Secret Panel on Jesse B Oldendorf]
* [http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/Admin-Hist/139-CTF24/CTF24-8.html Commander Task Force 24: Admiral Oldendorf]
* [http://www.genealogycenter.info/military/directories/viewpage_luckybag1906.php?realpage=1040&display=192 USNA Class Yearbook, Lucky Bag Class of 1906 which lists Admiral Oldendorf's Class of 1908 ]
* [http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ref/BuPers/USN-USMC-1945.pdf Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps, 1945 (NAVPERS 15,018)]
*[https://archive.org/details/NPC-7018 Presentation of a Gold Star in Lieu of Second Award of Legion of Merit to Jesse B Oldendorf, December 21, 1944]
*[https://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/man-findingaids/MS_469.EAD.xml Jesse B. Oldendorf Memoirs, 1945 MS 469] held by Special Collections & Archives, Nimitz Library at the United States Naval Academy
{{refend}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oldendorf, Jesse B.}}
[[Category:1887 births]]
[[Category:1974 deaths]]
[[Category:United States Navy personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)]]
[[Category:People from Riverside, California]]
[[Category:United States Navy World War II admirals]]
[[Category:United States Navy admirals]]
[[Category:United States Naval Academy alumni]]
[[Category:Naval War College alumni]]
[[Category:Naval War College faculty]]
[[Category:United States Army War College alumni]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Legion of Merit]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Riverside County, California]]